~Breeding animation talent ~
Top Studios discuss their gameplans

A Still from ' The Adventures of Hanuman'

What is your current content output (in terms of minutes) per day?

We average about 66 minutes of 2D animation production per month. Our capacity in 3D is only 22 minutes of animation per month. I must however reiterate that this is a very flexible figure and we can ramp up our capabilities within a short period of time.

Animators at work at the Toonz Premises in Trivandrum

How many animators are working with your company currently? How many in 2D and how many in 3D? What are their skill sets? What is their educational & professional background? At what levels are they working? What are their pay packets like?

There are 80 fully trained 2D animators working in our company. This number is however constantly rising as we are bringing in trained professionals on a regular basis into our production lines. We have started a compact CG and VFX wing with 30 expert 3D animators. Led by Mr. Hari Varma, a renowned professional in this field, we are looking to make a major foray in 3D arena.

Most of the 2D and 3D animators are graduates in Fine Arts with additional qualifications in multimedia and CG. Trained animators work at all levels of our organization. From the junior most animator to the key animators, the pay ranges from 1.5lac to 6lac rupees per annum. For the 3D animators the compensation would start from approx. 3.6lac rupees per annum.

Animated Sessions : Artists study the trainers poise intently even as they sketch

How do you recruit talent? From which institutes do you recruit talent? Is the talent coming out of institutes competent enough or do you have to etrain them? Do you import talent? What kind?

We currently recruit talent depending on our production requirement. We hire animation professionals to be part of our workforce through tests and interviews. We also recruit heavily from our own Academy, as the students readily conform to Toonz standards.

The talent from most of the institutes is not competent enough and it’s true that we need to retrain them. As per our requirements, we never hesitate to import the best animation talents in the world. All our major departments (Animation, Background, Layout) are staffed with experts from USA, Philippines, Canada and other countries.

Do you see a roadblock in terms of business expansion due to shortage of animators?

The shortage of animators is a major problem for our growing industry. It is to offset this deficiency that we have started our own animation training schools.

Poaching of talent from other studios has become prevalent, does it not affect the workflow, please comment?

Toonz believes in creating a new generation of animation professionals in the country. We train raw talents and mould them into competent artists. If the rest of the studios adopt this approach, then this problem of poaching of talent will disappear.

Briefing in progress

Do you think that the number of students coming out from institutes in the country can meet the resource crunch?

It is the quality not the number of students coming out from these institutes that is of paramount importance. However I am confident that we will produce enough professionals to meet this crunch.

What initiatives are you taking to meet the increasing demand for animators?

As I mentioned earlier, we have started two world-class institutes: Toonz Animation Academy and Toonz Webel Academy. These two institutes will create a new generation of industry ready professionals.

Is the country's animation talent centered on certain pockets like southern India and Mumbai? Films are made in every state of India, why then hasn't animation grown across the country?

Animation industry is in a nascent stage right now and I believe over a period of time the industry will spread out over all parts of the country.

What alternatives do you have in case of facing a talent crunch? Will you take in more 3D assignments, as that is more computer reliant as compared to 2D? What initiatives are needed to drive 3D animation in India?

We have an equal commitment to both 2D and 3D. Human resource is an integral component of this industry and we are committed to nurturing it. With this attitude we can always tide over the question of talent crunch. Regarding the initiatives for the 3D animation in the country, I believe 3D is running ahead on its own steam and that it has achieved a level of popularity that will propel the industry forward.

Do you think that a consortium approach will bring in additional benefits in terms of marketing Indian Animation overseas?

Absolutely, we have formed fruitful partnerships with several broadcasters, distributors and multimedia companies across the globe and this has given us an edge in our marketing.

In what ways is the government encouraging the Industry? What according to you is required of the Government to help promote the Indian Animation industry?

The Government has assured us all possible help in our efforts to give a new direction to the industry. We have recently approached the I & B ministry with an innovative plan to reserve airtime for original Indian programming.